Making A Practice YOUR Practice

I had the opportunity to teach 4 private classes today. From a married couple who does yoga to find stability and flexibility, a girl who are highly motivated in pursuing her Ashtanga practice, a woman who is paralyzed from the waist down and who just want to continue doing yoga, and lastly to a girl who wanted to gain strength of the core.

Although I gave different classes to different individual, one common advice I gave was to follow instructions exactly and to stay with their breath. It has become a common thing for me to list down the things that a practitioner needs to bring with them upon coming to a class.

The list below might be helpful to keep note to have a safe and enjoyable practice.

1. Come to class early to settle down easy before starting the class

2. Be open about your injuries to the teacher as he could help you move appropriately

3. Remember to NOT try and copy other people as you will never look the same

4. Trust your ears more than trust your eyes

5. Practice at your own level and know how to listen to your own body, listen to instructions well

6. Having the right intention for practicing yoga

7. Having the humility to except your limitations

8. Not losing awareness to the breath and the entire body

9. Not letting your ego take the best of you

10. To listen to your own body's needs that catering to what your body wants

When you have practiced all these, you realized that the practice will become your practice and soon you will have a much better understanding of your own body and experience some shift in your life, be it emotionally, physically or mentally.

Having a consistent practice was also one of the advise I gave to them. In reality, something that you do naturally like cooking, eating and drinking are all actions that do not require prompting. We do it when we feel like it. The more we do it, the natural in become, thus consistency in your practice it pretty important in order to experience a change in physical, mental or emotional prowess. Having said that, we must take this practice of yoga to a higher level other than just asanas.

Namaste

Azmi